Street Fighter tournament a hit at Best Buy

DOWNEY -- Best Buy of Downey hosted its seasonal video game tournament challenging gamers to battle each other for bragging rights in Capcom's newly released Street Fighter IV on March 7."[It's] about bringing people out for a great cause, bringing gamers together," said Best Buy associate James Melton. The tournament took place in the front of the store where many gamers were gathered around several televisions to take part in the experience. Assistant store manager Alex Flores said it was the biggest turn out for a tournament recorded. Previous tournaments included grand prizes like a Nintendo Wii and Xbox which was given out to the top competitors. The Street Fighter IV tournament was not any different with top competitors receiving a gift card to Best Buy for an undisclosed amount. There were no requirements for players and anyone was eligible to play. Players ranged from all ages and some came from different cities. The crowd was very enthused by the tournament and for certain players. A crowd favorite was a 6-year-old player named Candy from Hollydale. "I want to play today and I want to win a prize and be the best at something," said the young player. "I'm going to tell my friends all about it." All participants in the tournament were eligible to receive 10 percent off all game merchandise for that day. There were 90-second trials, with two players for every game. About 50 people signed up for the tournament and the first few games went off without a hitch. Many stray shoppers gathered to join in on the excitement. Many of the gamers who attended the tournament have long track records with the world renowned game such as Inglewood resident, Lamar Faciane who says he's been playing since the very first installment of the fighting game. Street Fighter is a very skilled game which requires multi-tasking ability and also quick thinking and great reflexes. Best Buy had a great turn out for its third tournament and said there are many more to come. They expect their next tournament to be in early April in dedication to the end of the March madness season with March Madness Basketball by EA Sports. ********** Published: March 20, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 48